Governor Mead Designates Week For Marijuana Education

Wyoming Governor Matt Mead has declared April 24th through the 30th a week to understand the impacts of marijuana and its illegal use in the state.

Monday, the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police held a Marijuana Education Summit in Casper, which featured speakers in law enforcement, healthcare, and other fields.

Rhea Parsons, the project coordinator for marijuana education and awareness at the association, said bordering Colorado where marijuana is legal has changed what types of cannabis make it into Wyoming.

“There’s just so much more exposure to all the products that are now available. Depending on where you are in the state can sort of determine what type of marijuana is found there. So there can be some parts where marijuana is smoked, but you get down closer to the southern part of the state, primarily what is seen by law enforcement are the edibles, consuming with your e-cigarettes,” Parsons said.

One of the big topics addressed at the summit was how much the drug has changed in recent decades, including having higher levels of the psychoactive chemical THC. Parsons said there are risks associated with a more potent drug.

“The biggest most prevalent one, of course, would be at risk of addiction for anybody that starts using under the age of 25. Their chances are one in six of becoming addicted,” said Parsons.

A 2016 study by the Wyoming Survey and Analysis Center revealed an increase in support for marijuana legalization in Wyoming. Efforts to get the issue on a statewide ballot in 2018 failed earlier this year.

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The Peggy A. Kelley Wyoming Cannabis Act of 2016 will not appear on the 2018 General Election Ballot. The applicants who brought forth the effort to legalize marijuana in Wyoming were unable to collect the required 25,000 signatures by the February 14 deadline.

Frank Latta is the director of Wyoming NORML – The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws – one of the groups helping collect signatures. He said inexperience may have played a role in coming up short.

Attitudes toward marijuana use appear to be slightly changing in Wyoming. The Wyoming Survey and Analysis Center’s election year survey revealed an increase in support for legalizing marijuana for both personal and medical use.

However, WYSAC researcher Brian Harnisch said residents view each of those issues differently.

“A majority of Wyoming residents still oppose the recreational use of marijuana,” said Harnish. “While at the same time we have sort of an overwhelming majority of Wyoming residents that support the legalization for medical purposes.”

The Senate’s Judiciary Committee passed a bill on Wednesday to create a tiered penalty system for products containing THC, or edibles. House Bill 137 originally dealt with the plant form of marijuana, but the committee amended the bill to define marijuana product as a substance meant to be consumed in ways other than smoking.